Shock deaths of Ironman novices

Mike Loewe and Gareth Wilson

THE Ironman endurance race in East London was rocked by a double tragedy yesterday when two Gauteng swimmers died at Orient Beach. First-time competitors Berton Bosman, 37, of Pretoria, and Kevin Staessen, 29, of Johannesburg, suffered suspected heart attacks, according to the organisers.

However, police said the exact cause of death would be known only after postmortems had been carried out today.

The men's families were at the event when the tragedies occurred, the organisers said.

Shocked spectators wept when "the tragic and devastating loss of two members of the Ironman family" was announced by the organiser, World Endurance Africa (WEA), shortly after 10.30am yesterday.